$1 million rolls into 2014 election campaigns

Rounds leads the pack with $605,000 in second quarter

Jul. 11, 2013

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South Dakota’s three declared congressional candidates took in more than $1 million from April through June, even as more people toss their hats in the ring.

The bulk of that total came from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rounds, who raised just under $605,000 in the year’s second quarter. Rounds focused his efforts on fundraising after his $184,000 total from the beginning of the year was criticized as anemic.

Rounds now has $780,000 in the bank but can’t slow down if he wants to reach his ambitious $9 million goal for the entire campaign.

“Unfortunately, the fundraising never really goes away in a race like this,” Rounds said. “You have to be in a position to get out and communicate.”

He said he expects to spend most of his money dealing with third-party groups that can accept unlimited campaign donations.

Rounds has a big cash advantage over his rivals for the U.S. Senate seat coming open in 2014. Democratic candidate Rick Weiland took in $105,000 since he declared his candidacy on May 8. That’s about $2,000 per day for the abbreviated fundraising period, far less than Rounds’ pace of more than $6,600 per day.

Weiland, who has had his proposals for voluntary campaign finance limits turned down by Rounds, tried to cast his fundraising deficit as good news.

“I’m proud to be able to announce this afternoon that I have raised less money than Mike Rounds,” Weiland said.

His pride, Weiland said, is because he’s running against “big money” as the root of many problems in American politics. He’s promising to introduce a constitutional amendment “to drive big money out of politics.”

But Weiland said he’s not going to “unilaterally disarm and just give the Senate seat to Mike Rounds” and will accept donations from anyone who agrees with his position.

Weiland and his wife, Stacy, also loaned his campaign $100,000 from their personal funds.

Weiland has about $195,000 cash-on-hand, having kept his expenses low during his campaign rollout. He declined to say what his fundraising goal is for the campaign.

Meanwhile, newly announced Republican candidate Larry Rhoden raised nothing in the second quarter. That’s because he only entered the Senate race this week. Rhoden said he expects to be outraised by Rounds but plans on collecting about $1 million before the June 2014 primary.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Rhoden said when asked whether he could meet that goal despite lack of experience in statewide races. “I’m relatively confident I’ll be able to get a broad range of support.”

In the U.S. House race, Republican Rep. Kristi Noem is the only candidate from either party running and taking donations. She hauled in $381,000 in the second quarter and has $525,000 in her war chest.

That’s among the strongest quarters of fundraising for a nonelection year in Noem’s four-year history as a statewide candidate.